hadriel | 001

[ The scene set is that of a living room. It does not appear to have been lived in much, no trinkets on shelves or the table, and no pillows set up on the couch. The video is static for a long moment before the Outsider appears on screen in a wash of black smoke and shining pieces of onyx. He's set himself up in the center of the couch, on the back of it, his feet planted on the cushion. His hands are folded together as he leans forward. There's a twinkle of amusement in his beetle-black eyes. ]

Have you ever heard the tale of Empress Emily Drexal Lela Kaldwin, first of her name? [ No response? No problem. He's going to tell it to you anyway. ] A child born to take the throne, she grew up privileged. She learned about the world from a distance and when people killed her mother and stole her throne, her father took up sword to take it back for her. [ He disappears in a wisp, reappearing further from the camera. The distance has no effect on the loudness of his voice. He gestures widely with his arms. ] Her father returned the throne to her and though she tried to be the Empress her mother once was, she lost sight of what was important: the voices of her people.

Another came for her throne while she was blinded, a woman who had been born in the hole and clawed her way out to the top, and that woman took it with blood. If only Emily had paid attention. If only she spent a little less time on the rooftops of her city or in the arms of her lover. If, if, if. [ Again, he disappears, this time appearing to lean against the left arm of the couch. He shakes his head. ] She took up sword, same as her father. She took on my mark, same as her father.

But do you think she managed to get her crown back? Could she do it as bloodlessly as her father? [ A quiet chuckle in the back of his throat. ] Or would she be as ruthless a killer as her betrayers?

It's a tale that can end in so many different ways.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

And who is to guess that the Empress of this story is you? [ Honest question? Not really. A person could guess if Emily went into any detail about her past or who she was. ] To them, it's nothing but a tale told by a being they don't quite understand. Few of them are even interested, like a certain young child who fought hard against her lessons, preferring combat training and tales of courage to the reality she had to face.

[ What? He's had his eye on her since childhood, since Jessamine's death by the hands of Daud. She had dreams of him but not dreams, visits. Every person he has Marked in his long term as representation of the Void has all led to this point.

He is the cause of all of Emily Kaldwin's suffering, if only just by granting his Marks. He can never look away from this family now. ]

Because you gave my name. [ She retorts sharply. ] The second I introduce myself, they'll think of the face on their devices that told them all about the spoiled Empress and her troubles.

[ Can you see how much she appreciates the public endorsement?? ]

I was a child. I - [ She cuts off, nearly embarrassed. ] ... I never thought Mother would stop ruling Dunwall.

[ What good were lessons when she'd thought that Jessamine would live forever to watch over the empire? To watch over Emily? ]

Or they will not think of it at all, a story just scrolled by, the spoiled Empress' name a blank in their memory because it never mattered to them. Your story doesn't matter to them. [ If that does not tell her the kind of place she is in, then nothing will. This is not like Dunwall or Karnaca. A hidden face is useless when no one here even knows it.

At her admittance, he appears closer to her, not out of comfort but rather curiosity, as it always seems to be. ]

You must have known that all good things come to an end, even back then. The moment you lost her, you lost most of your childhood, too. You took a throne while clinging to things of the past and lost sight of the future. It is not something to be ashamed of. It is... human.

[ Where his words might offend, they're actually almost reassuring to Emily. Your story doesn't matter to them. She already knows her face isn't plastered to the walls of this city, but the reminder that she isn't being hunted by the entirety of the empire is a comfort, however small. ]

I knew, but I didn't want to admit it. [ She doesn't like him saying she'd lost sight of the future, but she doesn't deny it, either. ] What Corvo had to teach me was more interesting than my lessons.

[ It was easy, back then, to pin her excuses on the Royal Protector. It's still easy to do so now. ]

Corvo taught you how to protect yourself from the world but I believe it is you who plugged your ears to it This tragedy will teach you painful lessons that will make you wish you had paid more attention. You will have to make choices that will define you, that will define you as a possible future empress to yourself, to your father, to me, and to your people.

[ But then he comes closer to her, leaning in so the space between them is uncomfortable. ]

But I know how it can turn out, Empress. You can get your throne back, you can get your father back, you just have learn those lessons first.

[ Hearing him tell her what she'll do, what she's done wrong, brings a flustered pink to her pale face. Still, Emily bites her tongue, knowing better than to bit the hand that had fed her in her time of need. ]

I will get my throne back. And my father. [ If that means learning the Outsider's lessons, then... so be it. ] Before that, I'll find a way out of this place.

Of course, Emily, for what other choice do you have? [ She is not the young woman to lie down and die or wait for death or savior. Even as a child, she did not wait. She worked hard on fighting back in whatever little ways she could, just as she will do here, just as she will do when she returns home.

This is why she was Marked. She is a bringer of change. ]

And it is not as if you are alone in your efforts. [ It's not as if he's left her to deal with it by herself. He gives his hints but he is a god that allows the people to live their lives as they wish, not stuck to the imaginary ideals of the Abbey. ]

[ Not alone. Of course. He's here, spilling her secrets, enjoying the show. ... But, he's also the only familiar face, and in a lot of ways, the only one she trusts. ]

Can you tell if there are any others from the empire?

[ Those others may not be gods or empresses, but it would be good to know if someone from any of the Isles had been brought through with them. ]

[ If only she knew her secrets are only secrets for so long. An Empress of the people has no secrets, not after she's gone and her life has been written out as if she were nothing but some historical record. ]

There are no others, Your Highness. We are the only two of our universe in this place, past, present, or otherwise.

[ He sidles closer to her, smelling faint of ocean tide and Dunwall itself. ] Are you hoping for someone to arrive? Dearest father, perhaps?

[ She hums, disappointed, at the answer... and then her expression darkens again at his question. ]

Of course I want to see him again. [ Emily retorts, dark eyes narrowing. ] The last time I saw him, Delilah had turned him to stone.

[ An ability so incredible that it would have taken her breath away, had her guard captain's slap not done that for her. ]

I was asking... generally. I thought it would be better to know.

[ Ah, yes. Delilah's attack had been swift—too swift for either Corvo or Emily to fight back. In his own time, the Lord Protector is as he should always have been: flesh and bone and breathing. ]

It was rather impressive of her. [ Credit where credit is due, after all. ]

[ In response, Emily glowers at the Outsider, unhappiness plain in her face. ]

Whoever she is, she's dangerous. [ She responds sharply, as if that wasn't previously obvious. ] She won't sit the throne for much longer.

Yes, she is. And, for your sake and your father's, may you be right. [ Even though he knows, according to his own timeline, that she will. Delilah Copperspoon was a fearsome ally indeed but Emily proved to be that woman's downfall. ]

001 | Video

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action; yeah, sure!